Product Description

Many parenting books are based on hit-or-miss theories steeped in secular thinking. This one draws from Pastor Tripp's seasoned experience as a father-and from God's Holy Word. Grounded in the Bible's divine plan for parenting, this guide defines your goals as a parent and provides the Scriptural methods for accomplishing them.

Publisher's Description

In this revised edition of Shepherding a Child's Heart, Dr. Tedd Tripp not only draws on his thirty years of experience as a pastor, counselor, school administrator, and father, but he also shares insights gained in ten years of teaching this material in conferences worldwide, providing more valuable help for parents.

The book was a good read, providing an approach that deals with the heart. As parents, we need to deal with the heart of the issue not just the symptom behavior. This approach is the correct one, focusing on the child's sin. He lays out steps to constantly point our children in the direction of God and restoring their relationship with Him.

However, he lost me with the level/quantity of spanking. I agree with his method of how spanking should go Spanking should be explained, a tool to correct the child, and never done in anger. I could not imagine spanking my child every time she does not do exactly as i ask the first time at 1-2 years old. Also, he mentioned spanking as early as a young crawler (6 months old?). This seems way too early to me.

Also the stressing of spanking as a discipline being a Biblical mandate is interesting since he deviates from this once the child is older in favor of more effective discipline methods. It is also important to remember that we are not to there to break the spirit of the child. This would be the case with my sweet and sensitive child.

Overall, I believe this is a good book. I am just not going to subscribe to his discipline philosophy regarding spanking as being the only option for discipline as a small child.

I believe that from what I have gleaned thus far from this book that it definitely speaks to the voids that many Christians have instinctively sensed in their hearts and lives.

Oh how much better so many of us would have been if we'd embraced and witnessed such Godly wisdom from infancy. I am so grateful for the voice of this Author on behalf of all who shall receive--and to the one who mentioned this book to me because she instinctively knew exactly what the Lord was communicating in my life, by doing so affirmatively and graciously.

I've read a lot of parenting books but none like this one. I felt both conviction and hope. Tedd Tripp helped me to see my role as a parent in a whole new light. My children and I are so blessed to have found this book!

17 years ago, we had the privilege of having Tedd and his wife, Margy, visiting us at a time when we hit a brick wall in handling our first child. They taught us how to "discipline in love". We read the book and practiced it; good results followed immediately.

My son is 18. We couldn't be happier. He is a happy young man with lovely character and excellent moral discernment.

Now, I am a young adult pastor. I highly recommend this book to all parents.

This book has changed my life and challenged my way of thinking. The book has showed me deeper truths about the heart of children - how to best guide and relate to them. The book has a lot of wisdom about the use of biblical authority. It points out that discipline is for the sake of correction, not punishment. And how we as authority figures are not to focus merely on correcting bad behavior, but on engaging the child's heart for their spiritual well-being. After all, the goal is not raising well behaved children but Christ-seeking disciples. Tripp shares how confronting sin and encountering grace will transform the heart of our children.

I will be straightforward and say the book does advocate corporeal punishment (spankings). But Mr Tripp does so in a very biblical framework. Proverbs repeatedly mentions using "the rod" - and let's not forget, parents did not use timeouts/ groundings in ages past, so the idea should not shock us; rather, this is a new shift in thinking that reflects our modern way of thinking. But Tripp is very wise in the boundaries he advocates surrounding such measures: never doing it in wrath, never losing control, communicating love, and reconciling with the child after the act (not giving them the cold treatment).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don't agree with corporeal punishment, this is not the focus of the book, so there is plenty of wisdom to be gleaned from it relevant to all parents. I cannot say enough good things about it!